CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The real benefactor of Thursday's visit from President Donald Trump might be Sen. Cory Gardner.
Fresh off voting to acquit the president in the impeachment trial, the Republican from Yuma is now setting his sights on keeping his seat.
Denver7 caught up with him Wednesday to talk about our schools, our economy, and of course, President Trump.
Sen. Gardner hosted a discussion at the new Cherry Creek Innovation Campus. The discussion centered around mental health and his effort to make 988, the national suicide prevention hotline, easier to use for people in crisis.
"Sad to say in Colorado that we lead in a very unfortunate category in the country — one of the highest rates of suicide among our teenagers," he said. "And that's why this roundtable is so important: to talk about how we're addressing it.”
Gardner also stopped for a one-on-one with Denver7 to discuss Trump's visit Thursday.
When asked if he stands with President Trump, Gardner said yes and that they're planning to talk about what they've done for the state of Colorado.
“And what we'll continue to do for the great state of Colorado," he said. "The average Coloradan has received a $1,400 tax cut. Wage growth is up."
Gardner said he thinks the economy has been good for Americans recently. He said the unemployment rate in Colorado is 2.5%, which is a historic low.
And for the first time since Trump's impeachment, Gardner addressed why he voted how he did.
“No. 1, we have a Constitutional process that we have to respect," he said. "And we need to get back to work for the American people. You can't just shirk the Constitutional obligations of due process. And you cannot have – as Federalist 65 points out – a partisan impeachment. Or else, it will divide and hurt this country. What we saw at issue was ultimately a policy difference. And you can't impeach over policy difference.”
The rally is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs.
